Northbrook’s YMCA Receives $25K to Establish Wellness Center

The North Suburban YMCA in Northbrook has received a $25,000 grant from the UPS Foundation, a charitable arm of the shipping company UPS, to help build a wellness center for youths and families, according to a blog.

The grant will be used to help build a Youth and Family Wellness Center at the Y to fight childhood obesity and inspire a generation of youth to exercise regularly with their families.

“Childhood obesity has risen dramatically in the last decade, bringing an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, depression, and other catastrophic health consequences. It is vitally important for our community, and the entire nation, to improve the health and wellness of our young people, and The UPS Foundation has really stepped up to address this social problem,” Howard Schultz, executive director and CEO of the Y said in a statement.

The Y, which underwent major renovations in 2012, plans to transform an unfinished 800 square foot area of the facility into a dedicated youth fitness studio, with specialized equipment including an innovative TRX fitness system.

The new Wellness Center will provide a central location for an expanding range of youth and family exercise classes, and also serve as a supportive destination that will attract and encourage young people and their families to become health seekers. In addition, the new Youth and Family Wellness Center will provide a home for the Y's ever growing special needs fitness program.

For the full story, read their blog: Northbrook.Patch.com.